Always Willing

Always willing to bend down and hear my cry.
Always willing to bring me out of the muddy pit, 
Always celebrating when He sets my feet on the Rock, giving me the firm foundation of His love.

He never withholds His tender mercies from me.
He insists on embracing me with His unfailing love.
His truth shines brightly to lead the way,
    protecting and guarding me.

Even when the misfortunes of life press in on me from all sides,
And my iniquities and consequences weigh me down again.
When courage fails me,
And my eyesight becomes cloudy,
He is there
To do it again,
To pull me up,
Set me firm,
Embrace me with His love,
Putting a song on my lips and joy in my heart.

So patient My Father is as I learn this process of trusting,

Learning that only as I trust can I be happy, satisfied and whole!

Psalms 40

A Gateway of Hope

Has the enemy stolen from you?
Has he stolen your joy, your gladness?
Has he stolen your reservoir, dried up your stream, taken your strength, run away with your rest?

Does your outlook on life look dark?
Does gloom meet your ears, your eyes everywhere you turn?

The Father wants you to look into the horizon.
Do you see it my friend?
The Father has a land prepared for you, a land like the garden of Eden.

Behind you is your wasted wilderness,
Directly in front of you His GATEWAY of HOPE.
Nudge that gate open, my friend,
And you will discover the access to the land, that land as glorious as the garden of Eden.

The cross is on the path to the land.
The Father sent His Son to bear this cross, to pay the price for your freedom.
He offers Himself to set you free from your darkness, your bondage, your pain.
He shed His blood to deliver you from the power of fear, and all the shame and guilt.
He endured the agony and suffering so you could be released into your destiny, your dreams, into     
      His plans and purposes for you..
He paid the entrance fee, the price with the suffering of His body and the shedding of His blood,
      to set you free and bring you into this land.

His love is patient as He waits for you to discover His sacrifice,
Graciously and compassionately He beckons for you to come and enjoy His goodness, His grace.
With the same love that he created you with, He pleads for you to turn, to repent, to discover
     His poured out gift.
With the same love that breathed life into you, that same love that purposed and planned for you to prosper 
     in life, He invites you to come, discover, receive the fullness of life He has purposed for you.

Behind you a wasted wilderness
Before you the land as a garden of Eden.

Come and partake of His grace!

Joel 1&2

Planting

These tiny seeds,
Can they possibly bring forth a crop of lettuce, carrots, parsley?
With faith I plant you, seed, in this soil,
Faith in the promise on your packaging,
Faith in the science of seed planting and harvest,
Faith in the sun, warmth, and rain needed to bring growth,
Faith in the faithfulness of my God who promises seed-time and harvest.

These tiny seeds,
The outcome looks bleak as I cover you with dirt,
But the hope of fresh greens for my salad and the faith in the process spurs me on.

As the Father plants that seed of faith, that seed of hope, that seed of love into my heart,
Change doesn't appear possible.
But He plants that seed and dreams,
Dreams of restoration, renewed thinking, abundant living for me.

How patiently He guards that seed,
How He rejoices as it sprouts,
How carefully he watches over the the growth,
Watering it with the wellspring of heaven,
Cascading His fountain of light and truth upon me,
Uprooting the stones, the rocks, the thistles, giving my roots room to expand in the foundation of His love.


He gives me opportunities to sow seed too,
Sometime the seed is small, like a smile, other times larger...
All His seed, orchestrated from His heart, destined to be planted at just the right moment,
Using His willing obedient vessels...

Lord open my eyes ,
To all the possibilities and the big picture involved 
When You give me that tiny nudge to plant a seed!